Temperatures across the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta — and the state of Alaska — have been falling since New Year's Eve, creeping toward zero degrees Fahreheit around Bethel. That’s after a winter season that started out with temperatures 8 degrees Fahrenheit above average in Bethel.
“We had such a mild December,” said climate specialist Rick Thoman. “We only had four days below zero. So while it's not particularly cold for a typical early January, it is a big change from what we've had most of the time so far this winter.”
The temperature is forecast to drop statewide, with some parts of the Interior estimated to have lows close to 50 degrees below zero. Thoman said that the cold in more coastal Southwest Alaska isn’t predicted to be quite so extreme.
In the lower Kuskokwim Valley, however, a cold weather advisory has been issued between the communities of Sleetmute and Lime Village. The advisory is in effect from the morning of Jan. 3 through Jan. 4, due to expected wind chill temperatures as low as 45 below zero. The coldest temperatures are expected late on the night of Jan. 3.
Downriver, weekend temperatures across the Y-K Delta are forecast to range from 10 degrees to 10 below zero. Additionally, it should be gusty, with wind chill dropping temperatures to as low as 35 degrees below zero.
After Sunday, Jan. 5, wind gusts are predicted to become more mild. Milder air from the Western Gulf of Alaska will likely bring temperatures back up as a weather system works its way to Alaska’s southeast.
Thoman said that this cold front is likely a lasting shift into the winter norm. After the weekend, he said that there doesn’t appear to be any threat of temperatures creeping back up above freezing as they did in December.
Historically, temperatures have been much colder this time of year across the Y-K Delta. Thoman said that the drop to typical cold arriving late in the season is a reason to take extra precautions.
“The main issue would be because it hasn't been this cold, this windy very much this winter,” Thoman said. “People probably just need to remember, okay, how do we dress for this when we're going to be outside, when we're traveling or working outside in these conditions?”
In addition to warmer-than-normal temperatures, this early winter season has been less snowy than usual, which can pose challenges when combined with a drop below zero. Any exposed pipes will be prone to freezing without the insulation of snow coverage, even if they have been known to withstand these same temperatures.
And that probably won’t change in the near future. Thoman said that there’s no significant snowfall forecast for the week ahead, but that there is a chance of small flurries.
